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The remembrance of Archbishop Luciano Giovannetti on the eve of the first anniversary of his death (which occurred on June 29, 2024) was an opportunity for the John Paul II Foundation he founded in 2007 to take stock of the work done in the last of 18 years of his commitment to international cooperation and hospitality and to talk about the future.

Between the present and the future

After an attended Mass in the Cathedral celebrated by Bishop Stefano Manetti of Fiesole, friends and supporters of the John Paul II Foundation moved to the Franciscan convent. Here the new Board of Directors, which took office on June 19 and is chaired by Damiano Bettoni, was officially presented. Also presented were the new controlling bodies and the programmatic lines of the Foundation, with special attention to the construction of the Strategic Plan (the delegation of which was entrusted to Vice-President Msgr. Rodolfo Cetoloni, Bishop Emeritus of Grosseto) and the renewed presence in the Near East and the Holy Land.

The presentation of the 2024 Social Report was also an opportunity to bid farewell and thank outgoing President Andrea Bottinelli and his Board members who enabled the Foundation to achieve the concrete and humane results that the Social Report well represented.

The Social Report

Listening, adaptability, communication: these are the three key words of the 2024 Social Report of the John Paul II Foundation presented this morning. A document that traces not only numbers and results, but also the profound identity of the Foundation, which turned 18 this year and is present in 11 countries and 4 continents, always ready to build projects from established and tested models, but shaped around the authentic needs of people, with the ability to adapt in the place and community of reference to give real, concrete, protracted and future-oriented answers.

In 2024, the Foundation recorded an important 59.28% increase in revenues, the result of prudent management and growing trust from supporters and donors, who helped raise more than 663,000 euros (+15.6% compared to 2023). This result shows confidence in the Foundation's projects and allows it to continue its international cooperation and shelter activities in Italy with greater stability and even greater future prospects.
The overall budget reached between revenues and income in 2024 5 million euros, all reinvested in the implementation of projects and activities with a surplus between income and investments of about 100 thousand euros.
Also increased offline and online communication of the Foundation's projects and results, to ensure maximum transparency and involvement of our supporters in the various areas of the institution's commitment

Commitment abroad

On the international front, particularly in the Middle East, the Foundation continued its inclusion and training programs with the aim of concretely improving people's lives and autonomy and strengthening local networks. Particularly significant projects in 2024 included the strengthening of rehabilitation services for deaf children in Jordan, delivery of health materials to Lebanon, new employment opportunities for local people in Palestine, and dedicated spaces for women's entrepreneurship in Jericho. Also initiated is legal recognition of the Foundation in Iraq, Tunisia, and Burkina Faso, which will enable more direct management and greater sustainability of activities.

Engagement in Italy

Among the most significant projects of 2024 in Italy are the reception of 32 people (right now there are 40 guests) and concrete support to migrant families in Valdarno, along with labor integration and the promotion of dialogue between schools and third sector realities. Projects of listening desks for the guests of the reception homes in Valdarno and Fiesole were born, but open to everyone in the territory, thus promoting a "welcoming community" as part comes of integration projects. Among the most significant results is the fact that two families, after finding stable employment and a home to raise their children, have chosen to voluntarily leave the shelter program and become independent. More and more companies in the area then turn directly to the Foundation to recruit workers to join their workforce.
With projects in schools and in favor of disability, dialogue is promoted among young people and an awareness that is developed through information and training paths.

Staff
Currently the John Paul II Foundation has 54 people in human resources, including employees (17), collaborators and cooperators. Of these 21 work in Italy. To the staff of 26 women and 28 men, three young people have been added in the Universal Civil Service experience lived in the Middle East. The two maternity replacements ensured continuity for the organization and supported new mothers in their work-life balance journey.